Rocket Ship
by kalebxdd
Summary: Goten's sick and Chi-Chi asked Gohan to come over. This is the story of chicken soup, dusty video tapes and rocket ships. Brotherly fluff and all that stuff. Co-authored with Boboleta


**Hello people of Earth, Mars and Germany! I hope you're all having a great day. I know I am, cause... *drumroll* It's my birthday! Woooo! *confetti flies everywhere* I'd like you all to know that I do accept checks and credit cards... so... hintedy hint hint ^_^**

**Anywho, this story was co-auhored with the lovely Boboleta. She has an amazing story up titled 'A State Of Indifference.' If you don't want me to declare you an idiot you do yourself a favor and go read it right after you're done reading this :). Jo, I sincerely want to thank you for being awesome as well as a great author. I had a truckload of fun writing this and I'm overjoyed that we're in Team Dragon Star together, cause else we wouldn't have met. I think you just gave me a pretty fucking awesome birthday present ;)**

**And now I'm done with all the talking. So please read, review and enjoy :)**

* * *

Goten groaned loudly as he turned off the television, tossing the remote aside without regarding the thing any further. He reached for what was most likely his millionth tissue of the day and stared up at the ceiling as if the crackles in the plaster could provide the entertainment that TV could not. The fourteen year old grumbled after tossing the crumpled paper into the trash bin two feet to his side. Being sick sucked.

Seriously, it did. One would think that someone who has the blood of the most powerful warriors to ever exist running through their veins didn't have to be bothered by something as small and insignificant as the stomach flu, but Goten thought very differently about that. It was true enough that his share of Saiyan genes were able to shield him from most germs and diseases, but every now and again one of the bastards would slip through and keep him bedbound for at least a week. He'd spend those days doing little more than coughing up slime and feeling terrible.

And here he was again, pressing his head back further into the pillow and hoping that his stomach wouldn't feel the urge to empty itself completely out of the blue. He had tried to get some sleep, but his splitting headache prevented him from luling off into dreamland. All he could do was moan and groan while the queasy feeling in his belly threatened to force its way out. If there had been something good to watch on TV things might not be so bad, but of course today had to be the day that every channel decided to do in-depth reports on slaughterhouses and how the hamburger at your local fast food joint gets made. Just great.

Another cough escaped Goten's throat as he rolled to his side on the couch. Just the simple movement was enough to send a wave of pain to his head, opting him to sink back into the cushions for comfort. The sound of footsteps reached his ringing ears and the teen opened his eyes to slits, hoping to determine the source of the sudden noise.

His mother was tip-toeing through the living room, obviously not aware that her son was awake. She had a thick blanket tucked under her armpit, which she slowly unfolded as she approached the boy on the couch.

"M-Mom," Goten said weakly, his voice raspy and soft. "What's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing sweetie," Chi-Chi replied with her most kind hearted smile. "I just wanted to make sure that you weren't getting cold, that's all."

In all honesty Goten felt everything but cold. His cheeks were aflame with fever and even the thin flannel pajamas weren't able to cool him down in any sense. But if there was one thing that he had learned in the fourteen years that he had lived under his mother's care, it was that arguing with Son Chi-Chi was something that required nerves of steel. Nerves that he wasn't able to muster in his state of being right now.

With the expertise that only a mother could possess the Ox Princess tucked away the teen under the suffocatingly warm covers and gave a nod of contentment when she saw her boy wrapped up like a bundle.

"I have to leave the house in about an hour," the black-haired woman spoke as she eyed Goten. "It's time for me to go down the mountain and do some grocery shopping. That is, of course, if you want to have dinner for the next few weeks. I'll be gone until the end of the day, so I've decided to call up your brother and ask him if he was okay with taking care of you while I'm gone."

"What!" The boy's eyes shot open and he hoisted himself up against the pillows a bit. "Mom, I'm fourteen years old!" he complained, waving his hands around as if to emphasize his point. "I'm old enough to take care of myself, I don't need Gohan to babysit me anymore!"

Chi-Chi merely tutted as she swooped the trash bin full of used tissues from the floor. "Now Goten, your brother is coming over in an hour and that's final. I won't have my baby boy alone at home without proper care."

And with that she walked away out of the front door to move out the litter. Goten grumbled as he slumped back, his brow furrowed. He couldn't help but get the idea that his mother thought of him as a baby of some sorts, and he highly doubted that would ever change. As he sank back further into the now surprisingly comfortable pillow he muttered under his breath.

"I don't need a babysitter," he groaned, his eyelids getting heavier by the second. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself..."

He never even heard his mother return as he drifted away into a deep slumber, gripping his pillow into a tight embrace.

* * *

"Mom, I'm home!" Gohan shouted as he opened the worn out front door, giving the doorknob its customary jiggle so he could get in.

"Shhhhh!" he heard instantly after and rushed pointlessly to cover his mouth. His mother's frown and index finger up to her lips helped to stop him in his tracks, but she was quick to silently explain his mistake, pointing towards the living room area.

He deduced that Goten was asleep and produced a 'sorry' filled expression while quietly shutting the door behind his back. As he slowly shuffled over to his mom he couldn't help but get a slightly eerie feel at the sound of the floorboards creaking under his feet. Normally the Son household was the ultimate source for noise and occasional explosions, seeing how Goten seemed to have ignored the laziness that came along with puberty and was always chock full of energy. Now that Gohan would probably be able to hear a pin drop had him concerned to some degree.

"How is he?" the young Saiyan murmured, gently pecking his mother's warm cheek.

"Poor thing," Chi-Chi answered, gazing over to the adjacent room's doorway. The worry lines that creased her expression softened a bit. "It's been a long time since he's been down like this." She looked back at her eldest, motherly fingers picking out invisible pill from his sweater and tidying it straight. "I'm sorry to ruin your day off, honey. I-"

"Don't worry, mom," Gohan interrupted. "You know I wouldn't be anywhere else." He gave her a reassuring smile and was glad to see hers brightening her spirit too. He knew that his mother would never doubt the truthfulness in his words, but things had changed in the past few years. Maybe a little too much...

"You were always such a good boy," Chi-Chi told mostly herself. "And now you have a nice job and a wife..." Uh-oh. He knew that tremble in her voice. "And a baby girl."

"Mom?"

It started as a low whimper but Gohan knew fully well how inconsolable his mother would get once she'd start crying, so he was quick to engage his usual escape route to help her keep those emotions in check. "Mom, Goten should be really hungry when he wakes up." He reached over to her plain leather purse, ready to go at the top of the kitchen table. "I bet your amazing chicken soup would do wonders for his flu."

Chi-Chi, the momma bear, broke out of her melancholy induced weeping in a snap. "I don't have anything to cook around here!" She took the purse from his hand and rummaged it for the car keys.

"Well, you should get going then," Gohan nudged further, subliminally steering her to the front door with a hand on her back.

Re-energized, the woman bolted out the door, mumbling what the young Saiyan made out to be random grocery items of her probably massive shopping list. He smiled mostly at his accomplishment and waved back when she did, once again discreetly closing the door behind him. He puffed out a breath.

When his mother had called him she had sounded so incredibly concerned and for a moment Gohan had feared that something was seriously wrong with his sibling. But when he had managed to decipher the words 'stomach flu' out of a string of incoherent mumbles he had heaved a sigh in relief. Chi-Chi's hysterics had merely been a mother's instincts acting up.

Slowly, as to not wake the sleeping teenager, Gohan shuffled over to the living room. He leaned his form against the doorframe and crossed his arms in front of his chest when he saw his little brother lying on the couch, his closed eyes and deep and steady breathing indicating his peaceful slumber.

The elder Son smiled nostalgically at the sight of it. Goten was fourteen years old now, but it still seemed like it was only yesterday when the little tyke would fall asleep in his lap, the kid's head resting against his chest and tiny fingers clutched into the fabric of his shirt. Being the big brother that he was he'd always get up as slowly as possible and carry the kid to his bedroom, kissing his forehead as he tucked him under the covers. Suddenly the urge to pick him off the couch and put him in his own bed creeped up on Gohan.

He tried to be as light on his feet as he possibly could, avoiding every floorboard that he knew would screech in agony if he placed his weight on it. He succeeded in his mission to move over to the kitchen in complete silence and quickly walked over to the counter before beginning to pull out an array of pots and pans. His mother had taught him how to cook when he was younger, but trying to teach a Saiyan how to prepare his own food while you intoxicated him with the aromas of sizzling meat and grease was basically the same as talking to a wall. Gohan simply hoped for the best; as long as he didn't blow up the whole kitchen trying to boil an egg he considered his cookery a success.

The young man had to suppress a little excited shriek when he slid open the freezer drawer under the fridge and noticed a plastic bowl with the word 'soup' across the lid in magic marker. Chi-Chi had been smart enough to freeze in whatever leftovers there were at the end of a meal and right now Gohan couldn't be more thankful. It'd certainly make his shenanigans in the kitchen a whole lot easier and a whole less dangerous.

He placed a soup pot over the fire and dropped the solidly frozen block in, turning on the gas underneath. As he watched it slowly fall apart and liquify he kept his ears open to sound coming from the living room, but aside from a sleepy groan from Goten as he rolled over in his sleep there was nothing but silence.

After having become impatient and helping soup speed up a bit with some professional ki cooking he poured the contents of the pot into a big mug and took it over to the living room. He kneeled by the couch and shook his little brother by the shoulder in an attempt to wake him up.

"Goten, wake up," Gohan spoke gently as he nudged the sleeping teen again. "You have to wake up and eat something."

When there was no response the older demi-Saiyan brought the mug closer to Goten's face and reflexively the boy's nostrils spread lightly before a tired grumble left his lips. Charcoal eyes shot bloodred opened slowly, meeting a pair of equally dark orbs.

"G-Gohan?" Goten mumbled with a voice still weak from sleep. "I didn't hear you arrive," the boy said with a yawn, stretching his arms out above his head. "Just how long was I out?"

"I'm not really sure, but I only got here like fifteen minutes ago," the older brother replied as he sat down on the couch's armrest. He offered his sibling the mug in his hands, who took it greedily. "You looked so cute hugging your pillow when you slept that I just couldn't stomach the idea of waking you up." He grinned teasingly when he noted Goten glaring at him.

"And yet you did," Goten added lazily since he didn't really care about it. His mother's amazing chicken soup more than made up for the hassle.

"Yeah, but not without bearing gifts," his big brother beamed, watching him as he skipped the spoon and simply slurped the delicious golden liquid, hot and steamy as it was. He always did that back in the day. Their mother would go crazy with the sound and the younger Son had been forced to shape up on his table manners, but whenever Chi-Chi wasn't around he'd discard all etiquette. Gohan smiled at the sight.

"Try not stain your shirt," he stated, mainly to tease him. "Mom will kill me if I don't return you exactly the way I found you."

Goten didn't seem amused, frowning from behind one final gulp at his soup. "I'm not a child anymore, you know?"

Gohan stood up and stared at his younger brother, his eyebrows sinking in just a tad as he reached for the empty bowl. Maybe his presence there wasn't welcomed by every member of the household, as he previously thought. He knew his little brother loved him, and on any other day the boy would be thrilled for the company, but not today. There were other matters brewing in his teenage mind and Gohan could almost smell the damn hormones in his blood, in a way giving credit to his words. He was growing up... where did all the years go?

At the moment the older Saiyan didn't really know what to make of it - if anything - and decided not to respond. If he remembered correctly the _teens_ were a force to be reckoned with and not always the most rational. "Do you want some more soup? Or anything else?"

"If I do, I'm more than capable of getting up to get it myself," Goten retorted with a bite, and for the fraction of a second it actually reminded him of Videl when she was pregnant with Pan, all moody and temperamental. Not that he'd ever told her to her face. Was _he_ ever this obnoxious when he was a teenager? Poor mom...

"You're right," Gohan said, recalling how those few simple words worked wonders on his expecting wife. "But I'm here and you're sick so... do you want more soup or not?"

Goten shook his head, denying anything else while lying back down into a comfortable position on the couch. _So stubborn_, Gohan thought. He was mostly sure that the negative response came out of childish pout over any other reason. Shaking his head, the older Son retreated to the kitchen for a quick clean up, returning after only a couple of minutes to the same scene that greeted him upon arrival: a sleeping, peaceful boy, unaware of the hormonal disarray that were his insides. Stealthily, he tiptoed over and gently unfolded the messy blanket that comforted the little guy, bringing it down all the way to his uncovered feet.

He stood up straight, taking the in the view that felt so familiar and yet so estranged at the same time. He'd missed his little brother and the pang in his heart took over his features. If he'd missed him it meant that he hadn't been around enough, and that wasn't anybody's fault but his own. In the depths of his heart, he just hoped that Goten hadn't felt the distance nearly as much as he was feeling it right then and there. A delusion and he knew it. If only he could make a day count for a year without having to transfer the sickly boy to Dende's Lookout...

Too bad that there wasn't such a thing as a time machine. Gohan would give up the whole world to go back in time just for once, if only to call his little squirt by his nickname and to ruffle his messy black locks. The pictures framed on the walls were a pretty reminder of what used to be, but they were mere reflections. Aside from the snapshots the only thing that would be able to take him back to the past, in any sense, were the old videotapes stored away in a box in the toolshed.

A smile tugged at the demi-Saiyan's lips. Perhaps he could sneak out of the house and go into the shed out back. Somewhere between the old rakes and flower pots there should be a worn out cardboard box crammed with black videotapes, every single one of them labeled by year and occasion. He was sure that Goten would enjoy reminiscing back to the good old days, when his biggest concerns were not accidentally waking up his mother before she got her eight hours or being home on time before his favorite cartoon would air.

Like a true Saiyan Gohan moved stealthily through the living room and out of the front door, giving a small wince when the wood behind his back screeched in protest. He walked around the house and halted in front of the tiny wooden shack that had probably been abandoned for years.

Dust and splinters flew everywhere when Gohan tried to pry the door open, which only resulted in ripping the entire thing off its hinges. He had to bend over slightly when he entered, all the while avoiding the white and wiry cobwebs that decorated the ceiling. A layer of filth that was at least five years old covered everything in sight, but the young man was able to make out a shovel here and some garden shears there.

The cardboard box was easily spotted. It stood lonely under the workbench which his father had never even used. The sides had been gnawed at by the mice that lived under the floorboards beneath his feet and it had collected enough dust to kill anyone with asthma in the blink of an eye, but the tapes seemed to be in perfect condition.

Gohan pulled a video out of the box and swiped his thumb across the side, brushing off the residual dust on his trousers. His mother had written across the label in neat, womanly handwriting: Goten's fifth birthday party.

The man's black eyes shimmered in happiness as he tucked the box under his arm and manoeuvred his way back outside, carefully placing the unhinged door back against the threshold. He'd fix it later.

Step by step, Gohan walked back inside the house, curiosity increasing with each title he'd make out while canvassing the black cases._ Goku and Chi-Chi's wedding, Papa's 70th birthday party..._ so many memories. Arriving at the living room he contemplated waking his sleeping brother up again, given how much he wanted to see the contents of those home videos, but the little guy seemed really peaceful, light snores echoing throughout the silent household.

Maybe if he was really quiet, muting the TV - or at least keeping the volume really low - he could take a look at a few of them. Just to see if they weren't ruined or something, of course. Placing the box carefully at his feet, Gohan sat on the comfortable armchair His onyx eyes scanned the backs of the video cases, brushing past each and every one of them with his fingertips. His pupils dilated a bit when he read the last title the box had to offer.

_Family picnic._

The older demi-Saiyan held his breath for a second. He never remembered this being filmed, but Goten had accidentally destroyed the family's video camera at the age of nine, so there hadn't been anything recorded since then. Gohan assumed that this had been filmed before his father had decided to stay alive once again. Ready for a video filled with joyous screeching and hyperactive children, Gohan pulled the video out of the box and walked over to the VCR, popping the labeled tape in before hurrying back to the armchair.

Grey streaks flashed across the outdated television set before forming into a clear image. Two very recognizable hazel eyes peered at him from the other side of the monitor. As they backed away the face of a young child no older than five years became visible, a gigantic smile from ear to ear plastered on his face. With his unruly black hair and jumpy behavior he was the physical embodiment of joy and excitement. Gohan glanced over to the couch from his chair. Goten hadn't changed a single bit during the last ten years, aside from having essentially tripled in height. He smiled.

The Goten on the screen was blabbering like he always did, his lips moving at the speed of light and seemingly unable to stop. Gohan didn't want to wake up the actual Goten sleeping on the couch by unmuting the video, but keeping the volume at a low one or two wouldn't hurt anyone, now would it? With a quick press of a button he had upped the sound and sank back into the armchair a bit more.

_"So, Goten, what do you want to do today?" Chi-Chi asked the five year old from behind the camera._

_"Uh... I wanna go swim in the river...'" The kid began with a hint of doubt before bursting out into a waterfall of speech and slurred words. "AndIwannaplayfightwithGohanandgohuntfortreasurean dcatchbutterfliesandplayhideandseek..."_

_In the midst of the ramblings the camera swooped to the side, revealing a teenager lounging around the tall and loamy grass, staring up at the overpassing clouds as if he was trying to make out the shapes and structures._

_"And you, Gohan, what are your plans for the day?" the woman's voice rang, causing the older brother to turn his head and stare into the camera lens._

_"Well, nothing special, really," Gohan replied. "I was just gonna enjoy the picnic and make sure that the little squirt over there doesn't blow anything up." He gave a goofy grin and scratched the back of his neck, a movement that would certainly be passed down for several generations more._

_"Hey!" the cry sounded from just outside the camera's view. "I never blow anything up!" Goten's high-pitched voice screeched, offended. "At least not on purpose!" The child jumped into frame and slung himself around his elder sibling's neck and sat down on his chest before balling his hands into tiny fists and firing them at Gohan. The teen blocked them all with ease, giggling at his brother's frustration all the while through. A soft chuckle was heard from behind the camera._

_"Try not to rough each other up too much, boys." Chi-Chi laughed. "We still have to go to Bulma's tonight for dinner." _

_It didn't take long for the two demi-Saiyan's to start chasing each other across the river banks and through the trees, Gohan using his ability to fly to his advantage, much to the smaller kid's protests. Chi-Chi sat the camera down in the meanwhile before seating herself on the blanket they had taken and spread out on the grass. The mother of two eyed her boys with a smile as she saw them play and mess around, obviously enjoying seeing the two have fun, no matter how much they would be covered in soot and dirt at the end of the day._

As Gohan continued to watch the video he was unable to keep his smile from growing wider and wider. It felt good to see himself from so many years ago, and it felt even better so be so close with Goten. It felt like a pity that their bond had somewhat eroded over the years, so viewing the tape gave him a sense of nostalgia.

He upped the volume a little more, completely unaware that his little brother was slowly opening his eyes to the light of the TV...

* * *

Goten gave a little groan as he opened his eyes, like he always did. He stretched his arms with a big yawn and rubbed the last remainder of sleep away with his knuckles. He had to admit that he was feeling very much refreshed; the rest he had gotten had certainly helped to improve how he felt.

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable he rolled over to his other side. The teen found himself surprised to see the old television flashing brightly, Gohan watching the screen from the armchair next to the couch. When his eye fell on whatever his big brother was watching he held his breath.

_"Gohaaaaaan!'" little Goten whined as he tried to fight the tall and fit form on top of him away. "You're not playing fair!"_

_The older hybrid laughed at the statement. "Oh, I'm not being fair? I'm pretty sure you were the one trying to attack me when I had my back turned."_

_Goten gave a huff in reply. "So?" he queried, throwing his arms by his side, realising that his attempts to outmuscle his brother were futile. "You're way stronger than me anyway, so I have to be sneaky to even have a chance."_

_"And why is that my problem?" Gohan chuckled as he released the death grip and stood upright. He offered the little kid a hand, which was accepted. In a fluid motion he jerked Goten up by his arm and slung him over his back. He smiled when he felt the small five year old hands interlace around his neck._

_"Say, how about I make it up to you?" the teenager queried with a glance over his shoulder. "How about we play rocket ship?"_

_Goten still wasn't convinced. "I don't want to play rocket ship! I'm not a baby anymore, you know!"_

_The elder Son gave a hearty laugh. "Well, that just means that you never played it the way I do, squirt," he said, sending the tyke a wink._

_The boy addressed lifted an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to meeaaaaaa-!" _

_Gohan never gave him a chance to finish his sentence. Within a split second the demi-Saiyan shot off into the skies like a bullet, Goten hanging on for dear life and laughing like a maniac all the way through._

"G-Gohan?" Goten spoke as he tossed the suffocatingly warm covers from his body. His voice was still a bit raspy in his throat, something that would probably hold on for a few days more. "What are you watching?"

Said man turned his head to see his little brother sitting upright on the couch. With a quick push of a button the video was paused.

"Hey, look who's up!" he beamed, tossing the remote aside. His glance quickly moved back and forth between the teenager a few feet away from him and the television. "I was watching some old video that I found in Dad's tool shed. It hadn't been touched for years and there were so many cobwebs that I felt like I could just stick myself to the wall, but it was definitely worth it." A smile crept over his features. "It feels good to see us when we were so much younger, it brings back so many memories."

Goten couldn't help but smile just a little bit either. He could still remember the times where he and Gohan used to play all day every day. Now that he thought of it, he kind of missed those years. Whenever something bad happened, no matter how insignificant it may have been, he could always run to his big brother and cry his heart out. Of all the people in his life Gohan had always been the one to be there for him and do just about everything that his heart desired. Gohan would go to impossible lengths to achieve something if his little squirt asked him to do so, Goten was certain of that.

That must've been the reason that he had decided to come over today and play nurse while their mother was out doing groceries. It had been so long since the duo had shared an actual moment with just the two of them that Gohan must've been going mental with joy to finally be in this position again. When their father had returned from the afterlife there had been no need for Gohan to play the parental role in Goten's life, something that he had done since the day the younger Son was born. He must've seen this as an opportunity for it all to be like old times sake, back when he used to call Goten 'squirt' and ruffle his hair.

And Goten simply had to go and act mean, distant and snappy towards his brother. It made him feel bad with himself. In hindsight being sick was a piss poor excuse to act the way he had done. All Gohan had wanted was to be around him and care for him, but he just had to be a jerk about it.

"Gohan?" Goten asked cautiously. When he saw said man raise an eyebrow he continued. "I think I just realised something. Is it true that you wanted to come over today so badly because you missed taking care of me?"

Gohan sighed and turned to the younger Son, leaning his elbows onto his knees. A little smile that flowed forth from what Goten believed to be nostalgia curled around his lips.

"Yes," Gohan replied. "When Mom called and asked me to take care of you I couldn't be more thrilled. It had been so long that I carried you to your bed, made you something to eat or even just watched you while you sleep. I figured that it would be just like when we were kids."

The young man stood up from the armchair and gestured for the teenager to draw his legs in so he could sit on the the couch. Goten did as was asked of him and Gohan took the open spot next to him. A happy twinkle shimmered in the older brother's eyes.

"Hey, I don't know if I have ever told you this," he said. "But you called me Daddy until you were about four years old."

Goten had to prevent his jaw from dropping. "Really? I can see where I got the idea from, but why didn't you correct me on it?'

"Oh, believe me, I've tried," Gohan laughed as he placed a hand on the teens shoulder. "But you were absolutely convinced that I was your father. You even refused to call me by my actual name. And in all honesty I didn't really mind you calling me that either. I may just be your brother now, Goten, but I've been your father too for the first seven years of your life. Sometimes I still feel that way, really. I know that I have a baby girl now that I have to take care of, but if I had been the one to call the shots I'd have two children now."

Goten had to resist the urge to cry at that moment. Deep inside he missed Gohan just as much as he did him. He had to suppress a sob as he rested his head against his brother's chest, but the feeling of Gohan's big hands ruffling his black locks managed to sooth him. Instinctively his own fingers clutched into the fabric of Gohan's shirt, like it had happened countless times before when he was still so young.

"It's okay, squirt," the elder Son spoke those words he hadn't heard for so long. "It's okay."

Silence hung in the air for several minutes after that, both of the Son boys smiling in content. The moment of peace was disrupted though when Gohan jumped up from the couch, startling the life out of the sick teenager. He chuckled at the response before sinking to his knees in front of the couch. He glanced over his shoulder and smirked at his little brother's dumbfounded look.

"Wanna play rocket ship?"

Goten smiled as he slid his arms around Gohan's neck, wrapping his legs around the young man's torso for extra support. When the older one of the duo was certain that the other wasn't going to fall off at any given moment he began to tread through the living room, mimicking the juvenile sound of a rocket shooting off into space.

As his big brother ran across the room with him on his back Goten laughed like a maniac, just like had done in the video of times he couldn't even remember. No matter how old the two of them would get, he would never get too old to play rocket ship.

* * *

The leather bag was tossed up to the kitchen table and Chi-Chi took the time to produce a big deep breath as if the action was going to bring her back the energy spent. Shopping was always such a nuisance, elbowing random strangers here and there to navigate through crowded aisles and discount sections, but when the task involved the massive amounts of items she had to carry around - three shopping carts worth of food, destined to be absorbed as air - the nuisance just became exhausting.

"Gohan? Can you come help me with the groceries?" she called, quieter than usual since the tiredness was just too overwhelming. Thankfully, since she remembered how Goten was sound asleep when she left a few hours ago. It seemed like yesterday... She just wanted to take a warm bath and... Where in the world is that boy? Why hasn't he responded? "Gohan?" she called again.

She sighed and all of her figure visibly sank when no one hollered back or came to meet her, and so she carried her weighted self over to the living room. Where are they? She froze at the threshold and suddenly she didn't feel tired anymore. All of the rude customers at that horrible grocery store were behind and forgotten, replaced by the two little angels in front of her - two baby boys in the form of fully grown men. A hand touched her chest and she smiled, calm and serene.

What in the world had they been doing to get all disheveled like that? The curiosity was taunting her but she couldn't really care, looking at them, so peaceful and adorable sprawled across the couch and holding each other tightly. How many times had she seen this picture before, lost somewhere with all the other old memories that life just kept covering up with new ones?

Slowly and carefully, she picked up the dark-green blanket, discarded to the side in a bundle, and placed it on top of her boys, making a mental note to call Videl and let her know that her husband would probably be returning home later than expected. She sighed... her husband.

And then she was slouching her shoulders again, puckering her lips in a pout. How the hell was she going to get all of those damn groceries inside?


End file.
